Assistive Technology Training

One-to-one training to teach you how to use your new software applications and hardware devices

WHAT IS ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY TRAINING?Assistive Technology training enables one of our certified trainers to teach you about how your recommended software applications and hardware devices can work effectively in your environment, with your business applications and to assist with your disability.

Assistive technology software is a very specialised and personal learning subject. It can assist with making your life more independent at home as well as within the work place. Training is normally provided in 1/2 day (3 hour) or 1 day (6 hour) sessions.

WHY SHOULD YOU HAVE A ONE-TO-ONE TRAINING COURSE FOR YOUR ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY?Your training session enables our qualified instructors to concentrate on your specific needs, with the aim of removing any necessary barriers to learning and enhance your strengths. Your trainer will endeavour to determine your individual learning needs and teach you in a way that you can learn from.

Training means that you do not need to sit and read through a long user manual in order to learn the software yourself - if you are dyslexic, this is often simply not an option. Training also reduces the time it takes for you to become confident and effective with your AT software which reduces the impact any disability you may have on your job and the time you may need to take out of your normal duties.

WHY CHOOSE US?Freedom of Speech Ltd has a collective experience of over 40 years providing training on a wide variety of software and hardware. All of our trainers are qualified and certified to train in specific applications such as Dragon and Read&Write so you know you'll receive a professional & friendly service .

We provide expert documentation & user references guides to support you once your training sessions have been completed. We also include 12 months technical support with our experienced helpdesk to ensure you have easy access to our extensive knowledge base and reduce any downtime that may occur due to your software not working for any reason.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE PUT IN PLACE, IN PREPARATION OF YOUR TRAINING SESSION?Most training takes place at your normal work (or home) place on your work PC. However, arranging for a quiet environment, such as an enclosed office or a meeting room, if you have access to your day-to-day applications, is also another option. Your trainer will bring a variety of useful items for you to refer to & see what works for you.

WHAT IS COVERED IN ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY TRAINING SESSION?Each course is tailor-made for you, the individual, in the context of your job description and the software/hardware you have been supplied with. We aim to teach you how a specific application works in your environment so that, by the end of the session, you feel confident that you are benefiting from using the technology. Examples of topics covered in some AT applications are:

Dragon Professional 15 (speech recognition software)

Creating a new Dragon voice profile

Dictation and correction of text by voice

Formatting and navigating text by voice

Creating documents and e-mails by voice

Transcribing audio into text from a recorder

Read and Write Gold (text-to-speech software)

Playback controls and voice selection

How to have text readback in documents & e-mails

How to have Internet pages read back

Using the Fact finder/mapper to collate information

Screen masking to changes on-screen colour schemes

What our clients are saying about us...

"Veena was very good at not only training me on the software but also helping me get over a very tough year. Having never had any help for my Dyspraxia (diagnosed 22 years ago) and then having the training on Dragon & Inspiration has made a terrific difference. Having struggled to get Dragon to work in the past - its amazing the difference some training has made." - Karen Clarke (Kingston University)

“My trainer was extremely personable and I built an instant rapport with her. I was able to focus in on key issues very quickly and come up with practical strategies based around the way I work because of her training. The training was incredibly useful and I would definitely consider going back to Freedom of Speech for additional training in the future.” -Benjamin Brown (Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust)

“Freedom was very helpful over the phone with a problem and I would recommend your company to many people. I was more astounded with the level of service I received from freedom of speech. With the training George gave me I found the material clear and easy to use, and has made it a lot easier and quicker. I would just like to thank freedom of speech for all the help they have given me to improve the work that I do.” - Tess Ashton (Leonard Cheshire Disability)

“The training material was very clear and accurate and I found it beneficial to use the simple flow charts that the trainer demonstrated with rather than just reading from a standard manual. The training was very useful.” - Jennie Pitcher (Buckingham Healthcare NHS Trust)

“The training exceeded my expectations as the trainer was very knowledgeable and more patient than I had expected. I am very confident with recommending Freedom of Speech to others.” - Claire Hewitt (Canterbury College)

"London Probation has had a very good experience of working with Freedom of Speech over a number of years, particularly in relation to the understanding of, and provision of specialist assistive technology such as Dragon Naturally Speaking and TextHelp Read and Write Gold, and training of staff with manual dexterity difficulties, dyslexia or other neurodiverse conditions. They have taken care to ensure that the recommendations they make for assistive technology adjustments meet the requirements of the individual staff member and are compatible with the Probation IT systems and working practice. They have provided very good group and individual training sessions and an effective support service. This has helped our staff to improve the quality of their work and helped the organisation improve its understanding of good practice in this area in relation to both employment practice and service delivery." - John Hague (Assistive Technology Manager, London Probation Service)

“The session was good and interactive. Having the training materials that Freedom of Speech provided helped me considerably. All aspects were covered in the training and I felt confident in using the software in my day to day working life.” - Islam Shirazul (NHS South London CSU)